News Room

Utah ranked first in the nation for volunteering for ninth year running

December 17 2014 - 3:48 pm

For Immediate Release

Contact: Aimee Edwards
edwards@utah.gov
Mobile: (801) 755-3085

Utah ranked first in the nation for volunteering for ninth year running

SALT LAKE CITY (Dec. 17, 2014) – For the ninth consecutive year, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has ranked Utah first in the U.S. for voluntarism because of Utahns’ generosity and commitment to improve their communities.

On Wednesday, Gov. Gary R. Herbert and the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism announced the 2014 Volunteering and Civic Life in America (VCLA) report ranked Utah as the No. 1 volunteering state in the nation for the ninth year running. The announcement was held in conjunction with release of the CNCS report.

“The VCLA report reaffirms that we have wonderful people who call Utah home and that care about their neighbors,” said Gov. Herbert. “Utahns proactively looking for opportunities to serve their community and help others save cost to government and to taxpayers. Their volunteer efforts pay significant dividends on many levels.”

Research from the VCLA 2014 report ranks Utah as the No. 1 volunteering state in the nation with 45.3 percent of adults volunteering. The report is part of the most comprehensive study of volunteering and civic engagement across the country. The data is gathered annually through the Current Population Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data was collect on the volunteering and civic activities of Americans age 16 and older.

“Utah citizens are extremely generous and consistently demonstrate their commitment to impacting the lives of individuals in their communities,” said LaDawn Stoddard, executive director for the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism.

The total economic value of volunteer service in Utah was $3.5 billion based on the independent sector annual estimate of the average value of a volunteer hour, which was $22.65 in 2013. More than 900,000 volunteers served approximately 154.9 million total hours.

The spirit of Utah’s volunteerism is exemplified in individual cities. The report also ranks the nation’s largest cities and metropolitan areas for their volunteering and civic engagement rates. Salt Lake City increased its ranking, moving from number five to second in the metropolitan cities category nationally. For mid-sized cities Provo ranked No. 1 again at 53.2 percent with Ogden coming in a close second at 52.2 percent of adults volunteering. The complete report can be accessed at VolunteeringInAmerica.gov.